Pokemon HeroTales
by pika2006
Summary: The story of one boy's attempt to get to the Pokemon World Cup. A prequel to The Pokemon World Cup...R and R
1. The Beginning

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon or any characters/locations associated with it. I do own this story and the main character, Thomas.

This is my attempt at a new-trainer fanfic, and it is a prequel to my other Pokemon fanfiction, The Pokemon World Cup. It charts the journey of Thomas Franklin, a 10-year-old boy about to start his Pokemon journey.

Hopefully, you'll join me on this ride as Thomas endures the highs and lows of life as a Pokemon trainer.**

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Pokemon Hero Tales

**Chapter 1: The Beginning**

The sun rose high above the New York skyline, signalling the start of another day. But for the Franklin household, this was not just an ordinary day. This was the day that their eldest son, Thomas Franklin, would start a journey. A life-changing journey that would take years to reach its destination. And that destination was none other than the greatest Pokemon tournament in the world, **The World Cup.** Of course, Thomas had no idea of how long it would take him. But he was willing to face up to anything.

In the house, the Franklins were sitting down to breakfast. Janet, Tom's mother, was speaking to him. 'Whatever you do, whether it's successful or not, don't forget that we'll always be proud of you.' Dan, Janet's husband and Tom's father, continued. 'Now you go on and carry on our legacy son.' Dan started his own journey twenty years previously, but it was stopped by the sudden illness and subsequent death of his own father. Now his son was getting ready to start his journey. 'When do you have to be at Professor Cole's lab?' said Janet. 'By ten o'clock,' replied Thomas. He looked at the clock. 'Aaaah...I gotta go...' It was 9.40. 'OK,' said his father, 'We'll see you soon. Bye!' 'Goodbye!' said Thomas as he dashed through the door. He ran to a car, which was parked outside the house, and got into it. 'Thanks for taking me there, Joe.' Joe, a friend of Toms, replied, 'No probs.'

When they got to the centre, they found a small crowd of people gathered outside the lab. 'I guess these guys are starting their journeys too' he said. 'These are just supporters, waiting to see this years crop of new Pokemon trainers...oh, you better go in, I'll be out here to see which Pokemon you got.' He went inside, to find Professor Cole saying goodbye to the last trainer. 'And you must be Thomas,' he said shaking Tom's hand, 'I'm sure you'll do well. Here's your Pokedex and Pokeballs. The Pokedex will identify any Pokemon you aim it at, giving you a short bio of the species, OK?' 'Yes,' replied Tom. 'OK, now it's time to determine your first Pokemon. Choose a number between one and ten.' He chose number eight. 'Sorry, that one's taken.' said Cole. 'OK, number...4 please' said Thomas. 'OK, number 4 is...' He released the Pokeball, and out came a Charmander. Tom aimed the Pokedex at it. 'Charmander, a fire type Pokemon, it can burn anything to a crisp with its various fireball attacks,' it said. 'Good choice Tom' said Cole. 'Here's a map of the Kanto area. That's the first area you'll fly to.' 'Cool,' said Thomas. 'OK, your plane is due to leave soon, so better get going. If you need any help, just give me a phone call.'

He left the lab. The crowds cheered as Tom went out of the gate. His parents showed up as well. He went to a microphone. 'Thank you all for turning up to give me and the other trainers support as we start our journeys. I know it's going to be a long one, but I can assure you that in a few years time, I'll bring the trophy home. Thank you!' he said. Then he left the stage and boarded a plane bound for Kanto. He chose a seat next to another trainer. 'I'm Thomas, who are you?' he asked. 'My name is Mark' replied Mark. The plane took off. 'Next stop, Kanto!' said Tom. It was a five-hour flight to Pallet Airport, so the trainers on board bided their time by talking about their hopes for their Pokemon journey. 'I hope to become a fire-based Pokemon trainer' said one. 'And I want to become the world's greatest Eevee trainer.' said another. 'I just want to try and get to the World Cup tournament' said Tom.

The plane touched down at Pallet Airport at about 6pm that evening. The trainers all shook hands with each other as they went their seperate ways. They probably wouldn't see each other again, at least until the World Cup tournament. All of the trainers were booked up in hotels for the night, and they would start their journeys the next day. Tom went into his hotel and was given a set of keys to his room. He put his backpack on his bed and decided to go to the cafe to have something to eat. When he got there, he met another Pokemon trainer named Todd Snap, and they started chatting to each other. 'You new here?' asked Todd. 'Yes, I'm trying to become a Pokemon trainer and enter into the World Cup tournament.' said Thomas. 'Well, first of all, to enter the Pokemon World Cup tournament you need to finish within the top two of the League tournaments. There are three Leagues held in the space of about a year and a half, they're called the Kanto League, the Johto League and the Hoenn League. You have to collect badges in order to qualify for the league competitions, in this area you need 8 badges to enter the Kanto League.' said Todd. 'Pretty big challenge ahead then I guess' said Thomas. 'Anyway, I'm a Pokemon photographer, hence the surname, Snap,' said Todd, 'I'll see you whenever OK, Tom, pleasure to meet you.' They shook hands with each other. Tom finished his food and then left the cafe. In the lobby he saw a video phone, so he decided to call his parents. He put some money in the machine and dialed the number. 'Hello?' said his father on the other end. 'Hey, it's Thomas.' replied Tom. 'Thomas! Are you there yet? Where are you?' asked Dan. 'I'm in a hotel in Pallet Town, Kanto. I got here at about half-past six this evening, and I'm gonna start my journey in the morning.' said Tom. 'How's your Pokemon?' said Dan. 'He's fine' said Tom, stroking Charmander, who was by his side. 'So where you heading for tomorrow son?' asked Dan. 'The first gym I guess. I met another Pokemon trainer earlier, well, actually he's a photographer, called Todd Snap.' Dan interrupted him. 'Oh I've heard of him. He's taken some good Pokepics. Carry on...' 'He told me about the League system and how you have to collect badges to enter the leagues and then come in the top two of these leagues to progress through to the World Cup. Anyway, my money's running out now, I've gotta go. Bye!' said Tom. 'Bye son!' said Dan.

He went up into his room, and recalled his Charmander. He lay on the bed, thinking. _'Tomorrow begins my quest for the Pokemon World Cup tournament, via the Kanto, Johto and Hoenn Leagues.'_ He got up to look at the map that Professor Cole had given him earlier that day. 'Nearest gym from here is Viridian. Looks like I gotta go through the forest to get there. Get ready Mr. Gym Leader, 'cos Thomas is raring to go!' He got into bed and flipped the light off. 'Goodnight everyone' he said, even though he was the only one in the room. He fell asleep.

The next day when Tom woke up, it was still dark, for it was only 5.30. He decided to take a (very) early morning stroll outside. Tom released his Charmander and they set off. He heard a flock of Pidgey singing their dawn chorus, and some Spearow flew overhead. It was only half-light so Tom couldn't see if any other Pokemon were about. 'Brrr...it's freezing, even with a coat on isn't it Charmander?' said Tom. 'Char-char-char' replied Charmander (T: It's alright for me. I got my burning tail.) They went back inside just in time to see that breakfast was being served. Tom recalled his Charmander and went up to the counter. 'What would you like?' asked the waitress. 'Er...um...Bacon and eggs please.' replied Tom. 'OK, take a seat. We'll bring it as soon as we can.' said the waitress. He went to his seat. About 5 minutes later he was given his breakfast. Just then, someone patted him on the back. It was Todd. 'Hey Todd' said Tom. 'You gearing up for your journey?' said Todd. 'Yup' said Tom. 'I guess you'll need these then' said Todd, handing him a basket with food in it, 'You'll need this for the forest leg, it could take a few days to reach the city. 'Thanks Todd' said Tom. 'If ever you need anything, give me a phonecall.' said Todd.

Tom then went back up to his room to collect his stuff. Then he checked out of the hotel and went out, heading towards the Viridian Forest.

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And I think that's where I'll leave it for now. What do you think? Review and let me know.


	2. Through the Forest, Pt 1

DISCLAIMER: I don't own Pokemon, I do own this storyand the main characters and anything that's not on the show

Chapter 2 now, and Tom is starting his journey through the Viridian Forest...**

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Chapter 2: Through the Forest: Pt. 1

The Viridian Forest was a huge place, about 50km walking, using the paths provided by the Kanto N.C.S (National Conservation Society). Thomas was walking through the forest, which was abundant with Pokemon of various species. He heard some Pidgeotto flying overhead and shortly afterwards a Mankey swung through the trees right in front of his face. But he loved it. Tom thought that there was no better place than the great outdoors, breathing fresh air and seeing various Pokemon going about their day-to-day lives. 'Hmm...wonder if I'll see any bug Pokemon in here?' said Thomas. And right on cue, just at that moment, out came a swarm of Beedrill. And they were heading in his direction! 'I gotta hide, fast!' said Thomas as he was being chased by the Beedrill. He found a bush and decided to hide in there. They flew straight past the bush. Tom breathed a sigh of relief. 'Well that was close' he said. He continued his trek.

Nighttime came and Tom decided to camp in an area of grass near to a river. He'd only been camping once or twice before with his parents, when he was very young. So this was all a new experience. He set up his sleeping bag, said goodnight to Charmander and went off to sleep. The next morning he was woken up by the sound of a passing Fearow. The sun was just rising, although Tom couldn't see it. (It's hard to see the sunrise in the middle of the forest.) He decided to make breakfast. First of all he let out his Charmander to give him some food that Todd had provided. Just then, a sound frightened both Tom and Charmander. He looked behind to find his sleeping bag had a fishing hook attached to it. He looked further along to find a girl fishing. 'Don't cast out!' shouted Thomas. She looked behind to see her hook attached to his sleeping bag. 'Whoops. Silly me!' said the girl, smiling. Then they both broke out in laughter. 'Sorry about that' said the girl. 'No problem' said Tom. 'Just some bad...hey is that a Pokemon? It looks so cute.' cried the girl. 'It's a Charmander,' said Tom, 'I'm starting out on my journey.' 'Really. What's your name?' asked the girl. 'My name's Thomas' said Tom. 'Are you one of the new bunch of trainers to come out of New York?' asked the girl. 'Yes I am' replied Tom. 'I heard all about it in the news the other night. By the way, I'm Sammy.' said the girl. 'Cool...anyway, gotta get going now...'

At that moment he heard a sound. 'Did you hear that?' said Tom. 'I heard it alright,' said Sammy, 'It sounds like an injured Pokemon.' 'Where is it though?' wondered Tom. 'I think it came from over there' said Sammy, pointing towards some trees. Tom crept up and saw the Pokemon. 'Come over here.' whispered Tom. Sammy ran over there. 'It's a male Nidoran' said Sammy. 'How d'you know?' said Tom. 'Oh I've lived here long enough to know about Pokemon. I'm not a proper trainer yet though. I hope to be one day. At the moment though we've gotta help this Nidoran,' said Sammy. 'But we're days away from civilisation,' said Tom. 'That's OK,' said Sammy, 'I'll call the Pokemon Emergency Dept. They go out to emergencies in the forest.' Sammy got out her phone and dialed the number. 'It's an emergency...a sick male Nidoran...Area C...Sammy. See you.' She put her phone away. 'They'll be here any minute now' said Sammy. 'What do you mean by Area C?' asked Tom. 'The forest is split into different areas, 12 in all. It's so the emergency services know exactly where to go.'

Just then a car came up behind them. A nurse got out of the car. 'Hey Nurse Joy' said Sammy. 'Hey Sam, long time no see. Where's the Pokemon?' she asked. 'It's here.' said Tom. 'And who are you?' asked Nurse Joy. 'I'm Thomas,' replied Tom. 'I'm just starting out on my Pokemon journey.' Nurse Joy got out her emergency first aid kit. The Nidoran looked up at her. 'Should get it sorted in no time,' said the nurse, 'How did it end up like this?' 'I don't know,' said Tom. 'We just found it here,' continued Sammy. 'At least it's not that bad' said Nurse Joy. 'Should heal up soon,' she continued. 'Thank you Nurse Joy' said Sammy. The Nidoran gave Nurse Joy a little nudge on the leg as if to say 'Thank you.' She looked down at it and said 'No problem,' then she set off. 'Should we capture it and look after it until it gets better and then we can release him?' wondered Tom. 'No, a battle would weaken him even more than he already is. I know, just throw your Pokeball and see if you can capture him.' 'OK,' said Tom. 'Pokeball..go!' He threw the Pokeball at him and he went in. It shook about for a bit before finally settling. 'Well done Tom' said Sammy, 'we can look after him now. Is that your first capture?' 'Yes it is actually,' said Tom. 'Hey I might as well come along with you,' said Sammy after some deep thought, 'after all, we could travel the world. I've never been really much further than Cerulean City, which is the next major city after Viridian. Do you mind?' asked Sammy. 'No of course not, I could do with some company,' said Tom. 'OK then...I caught some fish earlier, fancy some lunch?' asked Sammy. 'Oh yeah' cried Tom. Sammy got out a porta-oven and cut the fish into chipstick-type slices. 'Fish sticks,' said Sammy, 'a local delicacy.' She handed some to Tom, who tried one. 'Mmm...delicious,' he said. 'I know, they sell them all over town,' said Sammy.

As they were eating, a Pidgey flew right down and almost blew Tom's bag away. 'Looks like he wants a challenge?' said Sammy. 'Ooh...a Pokemon battle. Alright then...I could use a challenge. CHARMANDER, GO!' shouted Tom. Charmander came out of his ball. 'Charmander, ember attack' said Tom. Charmander released a fireball from his mouth. The Pidgey kept dodging the fireballs as Charmander kept firing them. Then, right on cue, one of them hit, causing Pidgey to fall to the ground, but it was still awake. 'Throw your Pokeball, now!' cried Sammy. Tom threw the Pokeball at the weakened Pidgey. It went inside the Pokeball, the Pokeball shook for ages but finally settled down. 'Yahoo! I caught a Pidgey,' said Tom. 'That makes two Pokemon caught today' said Sammy.

They continued the walk through the forest, when suddenly a net fell down from above Tom and trapped him. Two masked people came out of the bushes. 'Yes! We got him!' said the one. They grabbed Tom's bag and ran off. Sammy just stood there, shocked at what had happened. She ran after them. 'Hey! Get back here with his bag!' she shouted. 'Ooh...a little girl's trying to fight for her _boyfriend!'_ 'Wha...he's not...I'll have you know that he's a Pokemon trainer and I'm just an acquaintance!...' said Sammy. Then a second net fell down and trapped Sammy. With both of them trapped it seemed that all hope was lost...

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Dun dun DUNN! How will Tom and Sammy fare in this latest situation? Find out in Part Two of Through the Forest! R and R


End file.
